fighting/dominance help

[heidiG]

recently my 2yr old piggy has been bullying/biting and chasing my smaller/younger (1yr) not sure why is there anything i can do to stop this ?

for context they have 2 hides 2 water bottles 2 food bowls.

 

[Piggies&buns]

What sex are the piggies?
What is their cage size?
Do the hides have two exits?
How long have they been together?

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[heidiG]

What sex are the piggies?
What is their cage size?
Do the hides have two exits?
How long have they been together?

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

its two girls, there cadge size is 39" long 20" wide 36" high it has two layers, no they dont have to exists but ill look into sorting that as it might help they've been together around 5 months i believe as ive only just adopted them last week

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ive just seen that you have only had these piggies for a week.
When piggies are moved to a new home, they go through a period of reestablishing their relationship. This will take a couple of weeks.

While it remains normal dominance ie chasing, nipping etc (ie no actual fights) (nipping is a gesture of power but doesn’t break the skin, it isn’t a bite) then you don’t need to do anything and you can’t stop it - it’s something they will need to get through in their own time.

Provided they like each other and want to be together, then you will see this period of increased dominance, they will sort themselves out and then it will calm down. It’s only if there are underlying problems in their relationship and they actually decide they don’t want to be together that things may need to be reconsidered.
Bullying is a sustained behaviour which can see the under pig become withdrawn, depressed and potentially lose weight through not being able to eat, alsays chased out of hides not allowed to rest.


All you can really do is ensure they have plenty of space (150x60m for two sows), multiple and multi-exit hides so no piggy can get cornered and can get out of any hide. Hopefully everything will settle down soon.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour

 

[heidiG]

Ive just seen that you have only had these piggies for a week.
When piggies are moved to a new home, they go through a period of reestablishing their relationship. This will take a couple of weeks.

While it remains normal dominance ie chasing, nipping etc (ie no actual fights) (nipping is a gesture of power but doesn’t break the skin, it isn’t a bite) then you don’t need to do anything and you can’t stop it - it’s something they will need to get through in their own time.

Provided they like each other and want to be together, then you will see this period of increased dominance, they will sort themselves out and then it will calm down. It’s only if there are underlying problems in their relationship and they actually decide they don’t want to be together that things may need to be reconsidered.
Bullying is a sustained behaviour which can see the under pig become withdrawn, depressed and potentially lose weight through not being able to eat, alsays chased out of hides not allowed to rest.


All you can really do is ensure they have plenty of space (150x60m for two sows), multiple and multi-exit hides so no piggy can get cornered and can get out of any hide. Hopefully everything will settle down soon.

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Moody Guinea Pigs: Depression, Bullying, Aggression, Stress, Fear and Antisocial Behaviour

i did think it was to do with the recent move thank you for the advice ill gice it a couple weeks and see if anything settles thank you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

its two girls, there cadge size is 39" long 20" wide 36" high it has two layers, no they dont have to exists but ill look into sorting that as it might help they've been together around 5 months i believe as ive only just adopted them last week

I’m sorry to say your cage is too small and is below minimum welfare requirements.

The measurements you quote convert to 99x50cm.
Two sows need a minimum of 120x60cm to meet RSPCA welfare requirements but 150x60cm is recommended size for two sows (on a single level) to ensure they have enough room. In a c&c cage this is a 2x4 for two sows (150x77cm)
(so that is 47 by 24 inches at a minimum but 60 inches by 24 inches is recommended)

Second levels do not count towards the cage size (ie it doesn’t double the space) as piggies need their space to be on one level.

Lack of space can also lead to problems in their bond so getting them into a bigger cage is important not only for the welfare side but for the sake of their relationship.

Cage Size Guide
Member Gallery: Commercial Cages
Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages

 

[Wiebke]

recently my 2yr old piggy has been bullying/biting and chasing my smaller/younger (1yr) not sure why is there anything i can do to stop this ?

for context they have 2 hides 2 water bottles 2 food bowls.

Hi and welcome

Do you have boars or sows? How long have you had them and what age are the roughly?

 

[heidiG]

I’m sorry to say your cage is too small and is below minimum welfare requirements.

The measurements you quote convert to 99x50cm.
Two sows need a minimum of 120x60cm to meet RSPCA welfare requirements but 150x60cm is recommended size for two sows (on a single level) to ensure they have enough room. In a c&c cage this is a 2x4 for two sows (150x77cm)
(so that is 47 by 24 inches at a minimum but 60 inches by 24 inches is recommended)

Second levels do not count towards the cage size (ie it doesn’t double the space) as piggies need their space to be on one level.

Lack of space can also lead to problems in their bond so getting them into a bigger cage is important not only for the welfare side but for the sake of their relationship.

Cage Size Guide
Member Gallery: Commercial Cages
Member Gallery: C&C cages/homemade cages

Thanks you for letting me know I'm new to this so i thought the cadge they came in was ok but ive ordered a new one that is the correct requirements its from a website hamster homes if anyone can tell me if this is reliable ?

 

[heidiG]

Hi and welcome

Do you have boars or sows? How long have you had them and what age are the roughly?

Its two sows one is 1yr and the other is 2yr ive had them about a week and a half so still pretty new to this

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks you for letting me know I'm new to this so i thought the cadge they came in was ok but ive ordered a new one that is the correct requirements its from a website hamster homes if anyone can tell me if this is reliable ?

Ive not heard of this but did just look at the website. The guinea pig cages look fine and cover the measurements which are needed